Building for the Future, Part IV: Net Zero Energy
How solar plus storage can help buildings to achieve net zero energy consumption.
Construction of our 142 kW rooftop solar project at 140 Kendrick St in Needham, MA.
For more than nine years, Sunwealth has accumulated expertise in developing and financing impactful community-based solar plus projects while delivering electricity savings, green jobs, and emissions reductions to communities across the country. Accelerating the clean energy transition and uplifting underserved communities requires Sunwealth to reject complacency. It requires scaling our impact through continuous learning, innovation, and advocacy.
In our blog series, “Building for the Future,” we highlight how Sunwealth is growing our impact by harnessing innovative climate-focused technologies, policy, and partnerships. In our fourth installment, we explain what net zero means, and provide a case study to illustrate how solar plus storage helped a project reach net zero aligned with the LEED Zero Carbon standard.
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Part IV: Net Zero Energy
In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that commercial and residential buildings emit 30% of the U.S.’s greenhouse gases, largely because of their significant share of electricity use. Net zero buildings are an innovative and crucial solution: reducing emissions and utility bills and improving occupant comfort, while contributing to a robust clean energy economy.
What does it mean for a building to be net zero? To be net-zero requires that a site produce or procure enough clean energy to meet all of its operational demands. Buildings can reach net zero by using on-site renewable energy technologies such as solar plus storage, energy efficient processes within and around the building, and/or procuring off-site renewable energy. Buildings that achieve net zero reduce their carbon footprint and save money on their electricity bill while also providing increased comfort for occupants, reliable operations, and increased energy security.
Our rooftop solar project at 140 Kendrick Street in Needham, MA.
This year, Sunwealth, in partnership with BXP, completed a low-income community solar plus storage project at 140 Kendrick Street in Needham, MA.
140 Kendrick is a premier workplace campus that features three buildings: A, B, and C, and the Exchange, an amenities center. Building A has undergone a repositioning by BXP to improve operational energy efficiency and occupant comfort.
The scope of Building A’s renovation included full electrification, improvements to the insulation of the building envelope (roof and walls), advanced energy recovery systems, mechanical system modernization, and of course, the addition of on-site renewable energy generation through a solar plus storage project.
This repositioning has made 140 Kendrick Building A the first net zero*, carbon neutral repositioning of its scale in Massachusetts.
While many buildings are striving to reduce their carbon emissions or even become net zero, the certification path they pursue may differ. Net zero for this project is aligned with the LEED Zero Carbon standard, which recognizes net zero carbon emissions from energy consumption and transportation through carbon emissions avoided or offset over a period of 12 months. Read more about the repositioning in BXP’s 140 Kendrick Case Study here.
Our solar system at 140 Kendrick consists of a 142 kW rooftop project, a 1,238 kW solar canopy, and 680 kW hours’ worth of battery energy storage. 100% of this generated energy offsets the building’s energy consumption from the grid. Not only is this project making an impact on the building and its occupants, but also on its surrounding community. Half of the solar energy credits generated from the canopy project will be allocated to local low-income residents at a 20% discount.
The construction of the project has already supported almost 48 job-years, and during its operational lifetime, the project will offset 20,500 metric tons of carbon emissions. The project’s savings over its operational lifetime total over $1.1 million.
140 Kendrick is setting an ambitious example for other workplace campuses, while also serving as a low-income community solar plus storage project. 140 Kendrick’s solar plus storage project – built on a strong partnership, boasting unparalleled building sustainability and efficiency, while also giving back to the local community – is an illustrative example of Sunwealth’s mission in action.
Accelerating an equitable clean energy transition requires ambition, partnership, and an eye toward both economic and environmental justice. We’re proud to have developed our first solar plus storage system for a net zero building and look forward to supporting many other buildings to become net zero in the months and years to come.
Interested in learning more about partnering with Sunwealth?
*Net-zero for this project is aligned with the LEED Zero Carbon standard. LEED Zero Carbon recognizes net-zero carbon emissions from energy consumption and transportation through carbon emissions avoided or offset over a period of 12 months.